Laser marking systems have been used for many years in the semiconductor industry for marking and coding integrated circuits. Technical data is placed onto the surface along with the original information. Care is taken when applying laser marking energy, not to supply heat to the inside of the part, where bond wire may be exposed to the energy and become affected.
There are a number of differing changes to the plastic material surface during laser marking, and it is very dependent on the material itself, as to which one occurs.
- A thermochemical foaming, creating gas bubbles to the surface of the material, is the most common. The light scatters across the affected area producing the light marking that appears.
- Bleaching is another effect that is common. Here, the pigment used to achieve the product colour is removed creating a visual difference.
- The third mechanism is vaporisation where the material is heated very quickly, to the point where it vaporises and is removed leaving behind the created image.
These three laser marking effects can be enhanced by the adding of laser sensitive additives, and can generate considerable advantages. The additive acts as an abortion barrier, boosting the ability of the laser to process better. In some materials, the laser marking ability would not be possible without this additive.
In this application, the laser marking equipment used allowed for the parts to be laser marked, without removing them from the Jedec tray carriers. In one application, the machine was provided with a full loading capability for a single shift provision
If you would like further information on this laser marking application, or any other application, please request a call back, or talk to one of our laser marking specialists on 01737 826902.
